I really need to get a job at a research firm. From what these people produce, I’d say their typical day isn’t entirely unlike that of a psychic. You make some vague generalizations, write nonspecific predictions about products that have months of rumor behind them, and then make some bank.

The latest comes from Wedge Partners, which seems to think the iMac and Macbook are due for a redesign “in the next several weeks.” The firm says the iMac will head toward a “thinner, organic design, likely with smoothed or rounded edges,” while the Macbook redesign “is likely to be limited.”

Well isn’t this brilliant. So Apple won’t be completely abandoning their design progression for the past decade? They’re refreshing the white Macbook like rumors have been suggesting for months? What shocking news.

Source: Tech Trader Daily

When Apple bumped the 13-inch unibody Macbook up to “Pro” status, you knew they were planning a refresh for white polycarbonate version. It’s been the lone wolf sporting the Macbook name for some time now, and the body design is three years old.

That’s all about to change, according to a rumor posted at AppleInsider. Apparently Apple is going to redesign the Macbook and add a few more models to the lineup. The polycarbonate Macbook, it turns out, is one of Apple’s best selling devices. In fact, it beats out just about everything other than the iMac on Apple’s online store. That’s probably due to the $999 price tag. New Mac users find the price appealing enough to make the switch, and frankly, it’s a pretty good deal.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen within 4-6 months. Adding an even lower model would allow Apple to continue to perform well in the face of economic crises and steal more users away from Windows machines.

One of the most alarming updates to Apple’s Macbook Pro line this week was the addition (most would call it a subtraction) of a built-in battery. The new battery technology offers improved power durations at one pretty hefty cost: the battery can’t be removed.

It seems appropriate, then, to give you a look at a slick little external battery that could calm your nerves. The HyperMac external notebook battery comes in four varieties: 60Wh/100Wh/150Wh/222Wh at respective prices of $200/$300/$400/$500. While the top tier is certainly pricey for the device, it yields a whopping 8 hours of battery life for a Macbook Pro, 32 for the Macbook Air. Huge.

Speaking of size, you will pay for all that power with a little bit of girth. The HyperMac is definitely small enough to fit into a laptop bag at 10.1″ x 5.91″ x 1.34″ but it weighs in at 4.7 pounds, adding some decent weight to your shoulder. The benefits of all that weight, though, include the ability to power your laptop while the HyperMac charges (freeing up your other Magsafe for use elsewhere in the house) and USB device charging at the same time.

Sanho Corp did its best work offering different price points for different models. I’ve passed on plenty of these things because I just don’t ever need the extra 10, 16, 24 hours of battery life they provide. The 60Wh version is plenty for me.

Phil Schiller’s Keynote address is happening as I write this, and he’s just unveiled the new 15-inch Macbook Pro. It looks like Apple is rethinking the Macbook/Macbook Pro strategy, going to a more diverse product lineup for the Macbook Pro. All of the unibody Macbooks now sport the Macbook Pro brand, starting at 13 inches.

So Apple has officially dropped the Macbook tag down to just one white, polycarbonate spec which got a much quieter update than the keynote Macbook Pro update today. In terms of price, Apple’s new lineup looks like this.

White Macbook – $999
13-inch Macbook Pro – $1199
15-inch Macbook Pro – $1699
17-inch Macbook Pro – $2499
Macbook Air – $1499/$1799 ($700 price cut on second-tier)

Obviously upgrades are going to cost you, but the update looks to streamline Apple’s approach to the notebook market. Apple has also lifted the ceiling on upgrades to their notebooks, allowing you to get up to 8GB of RAM and a 3.06 Dual Core 6MB L2 Cache. Other upgrades are storage size, including the option for a 256GM SSD instead of a 500GB HD.

Apple has also added an SD slot to all of the Macbook Pros, making them more digital camera friendly. This does mean exclusion of the ExpressCard slot, which is now only available on the 17-incher.

Almost forgot – Firewire 800 is back. The new Macbook Pros will be available today, as soon as the Apple Store is back up and running.

Check back for more from Apple’s Keynote later today.

Interesting article by popularmechanics.com this week. Here they explore “5 Design Flaws that Ruined Otherwise Smart Gadgets.”

In order for a touchscreen to be successful, the user needs to feel that he is in constant control, and for this, responsiveness is key—even small lags can prove immensely frustrating. One recent offender of this rule is the Blackberry Storm, RIM’s first touchscreen phone.

Some history: Before the Storm was released, there was a lot of buzz surrounding its supposedly ground-breaking touchscreen, which depresses like a button, giving users a satisfying “click”.

But when users and reviewers actually got their hands on their device, the real shock was how buggy the whole thing was. The touchscreen suffered from long delays—often a second or more—that made users yearn for their old button-based Blackberry. And completing simple tasks took an unnecessary number of steps. For example, inputting the letter “C” involves putting one’s finger on the letter, waiting for the phone to respond by highlighting the letter, and then pushing down. All that for a simple letter.

I can definitely agree with some of this. BlackBerry, for instance, had a good vision when designing the touch-and-click function in the Storm, but the execution was less than stellar. Have you tried this thing? Press and hold, press harder, wait for it… wait for it… and click. Are you kidding me? That’s the ultra-innovative touch-screen we’ve been waiting for? Please.

I can’t agree too much with the Wii Remote. After all, they did include a wrist strap with every Wiimote. If you choose not to use the wrist strap, that’s at your own risk.

I’ve already touched on the Kindle vs. the Kindle 2 here, so I won’t go there right now.

Check out the article and let me know if you know of any sweet gadgets that have a clear miss in the design.